Ok, so I REALLY procrastinated, it has been too hot to work inside the coach (and I am too cheap to run the AC on the generator for the time it would take to cool the coach and do the work). Here is a picture of the fireplace/heater installed. The before picture is in post #130 above. As you can see we lost the big dishwasher area (we never had a dishwasher other than me) and 1drawer. I took the dishwasher compartment cover and cut it down (that's it standing on the right side of the picture) so I can now mount it on its side as a door (it is solid like a drawer face, not raised panel like the other doors) and we will still have access to the "dishwasher space" for storage. All I have to do now is cut the opening into the wall in the hallway. I am currently waiting for a set of hinges (ordered this week, due by Tuesday). I shortened the old drawer front by 7" and turned it on its side, we will have plenty of access to the hidden space where we were storing the paper towels.

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Dave, I really like what you have done. We have only two slides so my options for a fireplace were limited so we ended up reworking the small cabinet behind the passenger seat. Would have liked a larger unit such as yours but really enjoy the fireplace. It heats the whole coach

Here is the "cabinet" I created under the pantry, as you can see there is a lot of room, we only store paper products, things that are lite, I did not brace the plywood, so we are limited in what we can put in there. I might also add a wall in the front to keep everything away from the fire place.

I took the panel that covered the dish washer opening and cut it down and turned it on end to fit the space, I just had to fill the handle holes. Since the cabinet is in the hallway, I chose not to put a nob on it, I was concerned someone would get caught on it, instead, I milled the finger hold like on the vanity mirrors in the top so you can open the door.

You can see I have 1 roll of paper towels in the back so you can get an idea of the amount of space I reclaimed! The 2 black boxes at the rear are the remote controls for the LED lights I added to the living room slide and the pantry (see post #132), I will probably add some more in this new cabinet when I get a chance.

I finally completed the interior of the cabinet. I also included a plug for the fireplace by relocating the "dish washer" plug to the wall closest to the door and brought an extension cord up through the utility bay so I could plug the fireplace in to the 20 amp plug in the campground pedestal when they only have a 30 plug for the coach (You can see the cutout in the front right corner) when the campground has 50 amps I do not need the extension cord. I also mounted a strip of LED lights on a remote on/off dimmer (black box in the back of the picture).

The other improvement I did was remove the carpeting and installed hardwood flooring.

Here is what it looked like before the upgrade.

I pulled out the carpeting and about 2 million staples.

Then I installed 2 mm padding using liquid nails leaving room for the transition strips between the tile and the pad/flooring.

Finally came the 10 mm flooring which I also glued down with liquid nails.

I had to adjust the slide, on my coach I have a UHMW block (white block at the extreme right in the photo below) that the slide rides on. I had been noticing that as I extend or retract the slide just as it was starting down the slope at the end of the extend (or at the beginning of the retract) something was "catching" and I would hear a "thunk". I found there is a piece of aluminum angle that was catching on the UHMW block (you can see just below the carpet the bottom corner is slightly twisted enough it would catch). I straighten the angle aluminum and filed the UHMW block so now it closes/opens without the "thunk".

I also wrapped the leading edge of the angle aluminum where it would drag across the flooring with 3" UHWM tape so it would slide across the flooring without scratching it. I also ordered 2 pieces of 1/8" UHWM plastic 12" X 60" so I could place them under the slide if I needed it, I do not but it was cheap insurance in case I did.

I used a "T" transition strip,to go from the wood to the tile, the flooring sits slightly proud of the tile, but I wanted the padding (for thermal and noise protection) and the 10 mm flooring so the transition is slightly tilted, but I don't think anyone will ever notice.

I am now going to remove the couch, install a swivel rocker and computer desk, pictures will follow.

Ok, it has taken me almost 2 months, holidays, grand kids, and a few other things. After I installed the hardwood flooring I removed the couch and built a computer cabinet with file cabinets and a drawer that hides the printer. We also installed a swivel recliner, a Samsung sound bar for the TV/entertainment and I built a cutting board to cover the 3 burner gas cook top. I think the next project will be to remove the cook top once I find an induction top that will fit.

In the first picture you can see the new hardwood floors mentioned above. You can also see the fireplace/heater I installed earlier this summer. On the computer desk you can see the cabinets along the driver's side (coming from the back they are the first 2 doors) they are about 6" deep, plenty of room for canned good or other pantry stuff. Then the cabinet that is at an angle is for the computer odds and ends, extra disk drives and those things that just have no other place. That cabinet also contains a plug in strip for the computer and peripherals. All 3 of these cabinets have LED lights that come on when the door is opened. There are 2 drawers right behind the driver's seat, they are 24" deep with full extension RV slides (they lock in the closed position). The top holds the printer, the bottom is set up for hanging files, I expect both drawers will have extra room for odds and ends. I added a 120 plug under the bottom drawer so we could plug in a light on the steering wheel topper table. Unfortunately after I had everything completed I discovered the lamp my wife wants to use has a short cord, so I am going to have to retire it. I have a MAC that will sit on top on the drawer area, there is a hole to run the cables under the desk top. While we are moving we will place the MAC on the floor, my wife made a quilt for it, that way it will not get cold (and be protected). There is also a hole hidden behind the valance at the rear of the of the top so the cord for that lamp is hidden.

The second picture shows the front of the new cabinet. Once we head south I will send another picture with the computer installed and the drawers open so you can see that as well as the cutting board.

Wow, that looks fantastic!!
Dave, how was the sofa you removed secured to the slide. Was it secured with lag bolts to the aluminum frame? We are going to remove ours and install the Ultraleather jackknife that was on the passenger side. I have concerns with securing it.

Thanks Dave for the confirmation! Looks like I will be putting in the Jackknife we took out years ago and add in an end table. Now if I can get the couch out the 26" door. I guess a sawzall will take it apart! 😀

Tom and Patty, If you have the jack knife couch like we did, the arms unbolt from the frame and if you open the bed it is really easy, gravity works with you, the hard part was getting the new cabinet in the coach. No matter what couch you have, Western got it into the coach, so unless they used the Windows, it should fit. Look for bolts! I did not want to remove either the passenger or drivers seat, so I set up the section of scaffolding on casters I have to wax the coach, with the platform at the highest position. I was then able to place the cabinet on the scaffolding (I first placed the cabinet base in the back of my pickup then moved it to the scaffold) roll the scaffold over to the coach, have Bobbi hold the scaffolding so it did not roll into the coach, then slid the cabinet in, I had placed a 2 X 10 across the seats and was able to keep it level to protect the seats. I sized the cabinet to fit under the Windows, so it is 22" tall, plus the 3/4" top which I installed after the base was in the coach. Being 22" tall I turned it on it's side and removed the screen door (which I also re-screened while it was out) so I had the full 26" to work with, clearance was fine. The only other thing I had to do was remove the speaker by the door and the one under the TV so I could turn the cabinet as I brought it in (total length is 79") and since I was going to replace the 10 year old surround sound system any way, it worked out well. The scaffolding was at the right height to slide it in. You would think I planned it that way, I did not, originally I was going to move the cabinet in pieces, but as it was being built in my basement workshop suddenly I realized I needed to keep it assembled so I could finish it before I moved it. Thank goodness I have a bulkhead door to get up to the driveway.